In April while in Seattle, WA, had the great opportunity to go to a wine show, Taste Washington.
http://www.tastewashington.org
A wine fair held at the Century Link Event Centre with over 225 local wine producers, over 50 local restaurants, culinary exhibitions and a bunch of wine/food related events during 4 days. Even though the full event covers dinners, forums, wine tastings and a grand tasting, I didn’t know about the event until two days before it got underway. As a result, I could only attend the grand tasting on Saturday.
*Dish: Smoked Brisket taco, lobster guajillo sauce, pico de gallo. http://www.matadorrestaurants.com @MatadorRest on twitter
The grand tasting, where all the participating local wine producers get together and show their wines, is a big space distributed by regions of production within Washington state. Really organised, really accurate. Within the wine producers stands, restaurants stands were located, therefore food could be paired with wines “nearby”, not necessarily the right food/wine pairing but I reckon it was a great exercise. Food wise, great restaurants. Most of the food was in tasting portions, clearly they wanted to show some of their best dishes but hey, not everything could be for free. Just a mouth opener to run and visit them at their branches and enjoy the real experience every restaurant has to offer.
*Dish: Beet cured salmon. http://www.bellandwhete.com @BellandWhete on Twitter.
*Dish: Sushi roll. @Bluecsushi on Twitter.
Walking around the isles, sipping on many different wine styles, trying different grape varieties, talking to many wine producers & sommeliers, pairing with different cuisines, confirmed what in march 2015 I realized after visiting Napa Valley for the first time, the Wine business in the US is a massive business, is a huge industry that not only is made in California, is made pretty much in every state of the union.
*L’Cole Syrah 2013. http://www.lecole.com @Lecole41 on twitter
Washington state is actually the second producer of wine in the country, clearly way below California and somehow pretty close to third place and next door neighbour, Oregon state. Coming from Colombia and being immersed in the south American wine market where Malbec is the most sold wine/grape variety in the country, it doesn’t mean it is my favourite wine or grape but is what the Colombian market is full of. And Oh what a great surprise, Malbec from WA tastes completely different. I simply loved it!
*Kontos Cellars Malbec 2013. http://www.kontoscellars.com @KontosCellars on Twitter
*Kitzke Cellars Malbec 2012. http://www.kitzkecellars.com @KitzkeCellars on Twitter
Drinking Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% Roussane passing through great Riesling & Pinot Noirs and getting to a much drier, well balanced and explosive WA Malbec made my day at Taste Washington.
*Tenor 2:2 2012. Blend: Merlot 68%, Cab Franc 26%, Cab Sauv 6%. http://www.tenorwines.com @TenorWines on Twitter.
*Echo Ridge Cellars “Three blonds & a Boy” 2012. Blend (Firethorn Vineyard): Cab Sauv 66%, Cab Franc 18%, Merlot 16%. http://www.echoridgecellars.com @EchoRdgeCellars on Twitter.
It is amazing how many wine producers have taken the industry really serious and want to take WA state to a higher point, being committed to produce a better wine every bottle, trying different grape varieties, different styles and achieving great wine quality.
*Sigillo Cellars Roussane 2014. http://www.sigillocellars.com @SigilloCellars on Twitter/Facebook
*Sigillo Cellars Geno’s Rosé 2015. Blend: Syrah 60%, Cinsault 20%, Malbec 20%. www.sigillocellars.com @SigilloCellars on Twitter/Facebook
*Almquist Family Vintners “Bewitched” Pinot Noir 2013. http://www.almquistfamilyvintners.com @AlmquistFamily on Twitter.
A great experience to visit again next year, not only going to the grand tasting but also the conferences and wine dinners.
*Anew Riesling 2014. Blend: Mostly Riesling with a touch of Gewurztraminer www.anewwine.com
*Atam Winery Gewurztraminer 2013. http://www.atam-winery.com @AtamWinery on Twitter.
I’m sure is going to be even a better time around.
Cheers! General Admission Grand Tasting: 1 day US$90 (2016 price) 2 days US$140 (2016 price)
*Nine Hats Riesling 2014. www.ninehatswines.com @NineHats on Twitter.
*Nine Hats Red Wine 2013. Blend: Cab-Sauv 38%, Syrah 35%, Merlot 22%, Sangiovese 5%. http://www.ninehatswines.com @NineHats on Twitter.
Want this at your own table? I design wine pairing menus and run catering in Seattle for wine releases, private dinners and events.
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